For this week's edition of On The Come Up, we chop it up with California rapper A$ton Matthews.

HotNewHipHop's On The Come Up series profiles rising stars in the rap game that show strong promise and the will to succeed. Most of the time, they're new to the site but deserve some shine. We will profile artists ranging from those in the deep underground to artists just about to bubble up into the mainstream that you may have missed. You'll be able to check out some of their best work, and we'll break down what makes them great by category. Throughout the article, you'll find links to hear more from the artist, and make sure you go follow our official Soundcloud for more new music.

This week we head to the West Coast to chat with A$ton Matthews, one third of the Cutthroat crew along with OTCU AlumniJoey Fatts and Vince Staples. Just 24-years-old, Matthews has already been through a lot in his life, barely living to tell the tale. Luckily his tale comes in the form of some of the illest new hip-hop out, a fusion of old school California street rap and New York storytelling, with a dash of his own flavor. We had the chance to talk to the Lakewood, CA emcee about music, street life, and how bad he wants to smoke with B-Real.

A lot of rappers come from a background of hustling and gangbanging. A lot of rappers have a wake up call when someone close to them, or they themselves, get shot and leave that life behind. You can't have much of a closer call than A$ton Matthews had. The California emcee was shot through the heart. The heart. The bullet went through the lower valves and came within millimeters of ending his life, long before we ever would've gotten to hear his music.

HNHH: Do you have any lingering effects from the gunshot health-wise?

AM: Fuck yeah, the bullet hit my heart, broke some ribs and tore my stomach up, so they had to sew all that back together. I have a lot of stomach related issues now. If I eat too late at night or eat dairy products I get all fucked up. Nothing I can do about it though, just have to live with it.

HNHH: You're alive. Do you think coming that close to death changes your outlook on life?

AM: For sure, I feel like I'm here for a reason, and I won't stop until I get what I'm here for.

HNHH: What's that?

AM: To make sure my voice is heard and make an impact on the voiceless kids out there with similar stories as mine.

HNHH: Looking back, do you regret your gang involvement?

AM: I never regret anything I've ever done because life is full of lessons. You either learn from them or you don't. I would never have gotten to this point without living my life the way I did.

After that painful ordeal, Matthews took a step back and started looking for a way out, a long term plan to do better for himself and his family. He began honing his craft as a rapper, and his longtime friend Vince Staples eventually introduced him to Joey Fatts, beginning a fruitful partnership that would carry all 3 of them to new heights. He jumped on the scene with his debut NOFVCKSGIVEN mixtape, which featured the likes of Staples, Skeme and a not-yet-superstar-status ScHoolboy Q and started to gain some buzz.

He followed that up with Versace Ragz, a throwback style tape reminiscent of classic 90's West Coast anthems. Songs like "Mini Van Dan" remind you of old Cypress Hill or Snoop Dogg records, which explains A$ton's affinity for B-Real.

HNHH: Besides repping for the West Coast, do you feel like you're out at the forefront for Hispanic artists right now?

AM: I do feel like I'm one of the few at the forefront for Hispanic artists for sure. I just want to make way for the other youngsters out there that are just like me but have no voice yet. Im trying to fill that void in a different way than we're used to. I'm trying to be around forever like B-Real!

HNHH: Ever met him?

AM: Nahh, I haven't yet. I'm hoping to smoke some dope with him on his show one day.

HNHH: B-Real, if you're reading this, we need an A$ton Matthews episode of "The Smoke Box"!

A$ton's music is sort of hard to describe. Sometimes he's having fun, whereas other times his music is scary serious. He has aspects of traditional West Coast hip-hop in his songs, but also shows he isn't afraid to experiment and try new things. He's still relatively new to rapping in the grand scheme of things, so he just sees it as growing.

HNHH: You really didn't start rapping until after you were 18, so would you say that each project is just you growing as an emcee?

AM: Yeah exactly, I'm just now starting to figure out my sound, audience, and who I am as a person. The more I grow as a person I will grow as a rapper and it will reflect in my music. The goal is for every project to grow or I'm not doing my job right.

HNHH: Does that give you more freedom to experiment with new sounds? Or as a newer artist with a growing fanbase, do you feel pressure from your original fans to stay the same?

AM: I don't really feel any pressure to stay the same as an artist because nobody wants to hear the same shit over and over again. People have accepted my new shit pretty well, so I do feel free to experiment with new sounds.

HNHH: That's the wave in hip-hop right now too. All the wild and experimental shit is what's popping, so it makes it easy to really try to branch out and find new sounds without that fear of leaving behind what's proven to be well-liked.

AM: Exactly! The youth has a strong influence on us as musicians. They are free and a lot more open minded about sounds that are considered "different". So why not have fun and push it to the limit?

HNHH: How has your local community received the music? Were they always super supportive, or did you have to leave home with it and get that outside recognition before they really hopped on board?

AM: For the most part people have been supportive of the movement. We definitely had to go get it and show them the shit is real before a few hopped on board. That's just how the game goes though. You have to do before you speak. Little by little we will make a big difference over time.

After the success of his first two projects, Matthews had built up a momentum alongside his Cutthroat brethren and was poised to capitalize on it. In the Spring of this year, he dropped the highly anticipated Aston 3:16 mixtape to much acclaim. With production from Joey Fatts, DJ Khalil and Alchemist to go along with guest appearances by A$AP Ferg, Bodega Bamz, Action Bronson and Ab-Soul, it was a certified banger.

HNHH: What was different about Aston 3:16 compared to Versace Ragz?

AM:Versace Ragz was more of a raw, 'I don't give a fuck'-type of tape. Aston 3:16 was more of a showcase of what I could do all across the board.

HNHH: How did you pick who would be featured on the tape, because it's a pretty varied group?

AM: Truthfully, I really only work with artists I know personally. So really I only fuck with the homies when it comes to features. It's more organic that way, nothing sounds forced and it's all authentic. Makes for better music.

A$ton Matthews and the rest of the Cutthroat boys have a bright future ahead of them, and 2015 is shaping up to be a monster year for them. With all 3 of the young rappers bringing in National attention, it's only a matter of time before they're mentioned in the same conversations as some of the elite crews in hip-hop today.

HNHH: What's the vision for Cutthroat? Do you see squads like A$AP or TDE and think you can attain that between you, Fatts, and Staples?

AM: No doubt about it, we can definitely be up there one of these days. Just have to keep working until it's our time, the talent is there for sure. Fatts makes beats that are out of this world, Vince is hands down one of the illest rappers out right now, period. I just come to fuck shit up. Plus we're providing change and unity between our people, which is something we haven't seen in years within our community.

HNHH: What's next for you individually? You writing or recording anything right now?

AM: Right now I'm just doing shows and working on this new music. I'm about 5-6 really good records into my next tape, called Chapovelli.I plan on dropping it at the top of next year. Who knows what will happen after that, but just know I'm gonna fuck shit up. It'll be a combination of 3:16 experimental sound with that Versace Ragz energy.

HNHH: What can you tell us about the 5 or 6 you've finished?

AM: Not too sure about drops yet, I'm looking to start the new year off lit though. The songs I got done so far are creative and dope! Slower, menacing sound like "Mini Van Dan" meets "What You Need?" It's gonna be krazy.